Duval slumps to last place

David Duval found himself in last place on his return to golf at the United States Open today – and that after starting his first competitive round since November with a birdie.

The 32-year-old former world number one and Open champion, who made just four cuts in 20 starts on the US Tour last season before turning his back on the start, only decided last Saturday he would play at Shinnecock Hills.

He has no idea whether it is the start of a comeback or a one-off, but there was the warmest of welcomes for him and when he opened with a 12-foot putt he was on the leaderboard.

It all started to go horribly wrong on the 435-yard fourth when he had to take a penalty drop after hooking his drive and three-putted for a double bogey six.

That was followed by a seven on the 537-yard fifth after another bad drive and the next 10 holes saw him have seven bogeys, two pars and another birdie.

At nine over par he was 12 strokes behind the early leaders – 50-year-old Jay Haas, his fellow Americans Kris Cox and Brian Gay and Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama.

Playing with Maruyama was current world number one Tiger Woods, but he was only two over par with four holes to play. After grabbing a birdie at the fifth he missed the green at the difficult short seventh, was twice in the rough on the 443-yard ninth and then bogeyed the 443-yard 14th as well.

Conditions were as easy as they were likely to get, yet Ernie Els, who would replace Woods at the top of the rankings if he won his third US Open title and Woods was outside the top six, was three over par after three, Davis Love four over with five to go after two triple bogeys and Nick Faldo six over after 11.

Els went long at the 158-yard 11th, his second, and his chip back ran into a bunker, but the South African battled back to level par just after the turn and that was good enough for a share of 13th spot.

Lee Westwood, who has missed his last four cuts in majors, was going best of the European contingent for a while, two under after 10 holes. Then came three successive bogeys from the second, but he did at least follow that with another birdie.

Defending champion Jim Furyk, making his comeback earlier than expected three months after wrist surgery, opened with two birdies, but by the 13th was two over.

Brian Davis, in the first group out, was one over after 14, but then came a bogey at the sixth and double bogey on the 189-yard next, which with his wickedly sloping green was inevitably causing problems. He finished with a three over 73.

Phillip Price, partnering Duval, covered the first eight in one under, but then had back-to-back bogeys to be alongside Sergio Garcia, winner of his second US Tour event in four starts on Sunday, while Paul Casey, sixth at the Masters in April, was two over after 12 and Ian Poulter, making his debut, three over with seven to play.

Padraig Harrington, beaten in a play-off by Garcia at the Buick Classic, Darren Clarke, Paul Lawrie and Justin Rose were among the later starters, as was Vijay Singh, who like Els could be world number one by the end of the championship.

For that to happen he has to win and Woods was to miss the cut.

Faldo was able to score only two better than Duval in his 88th major - the first he has had to qualify for since 1976.

Els could feel very satisfied with his level-par 70 after being three over after three holes, while Casey and Poulter both posted 74s.

Haas and Maruyama led by two from a group which included last year’s Open champion Ben Curtis.